Yes, I agree. I am 65 years old, and have been 'trying' to paint for several years, now. I know that I will never be on the level, that I want to be. I paint because I love art, and everything about it interest. I can't measure my life anymore in 'many' years, anymore. I paint to paint, and I have finally stopped beating myself up about it, and accepted my limitations. This comes with age. Ms. L Churchill
being 17 and just starting yea, I really love how our culture basically says if you haven't been trying since you were out of the womb you're never gonna get anywhere with it
Just found this video, I'm a 35 year old guy who works 12 hours a day in oil field extraction, but it was my life dream to make a comic, to tell a story. Two years ago I started to put work into it despite the short time I have per day, even doing small doodles and sketches in sticky notes at work. But I've made some progress thanks to a friend who is a comic illustrator for a magazine, he's been teaching me a lot and your videos help me to visualize what I want to do.
Great vid thank you :) I'm 50 and yes I have panicked about trying to make art my career. At the moment I am really busy doing fan-art commissions and am looking forward to continuing for as long as I can
My daughter was very uncoordinated and rather talentless in Tae Kwon do, but she loved it. She proved every doubter about her skills after years of love for the art and sport. When she chose to leave it as a sport she was competing at the international level. Through her hard work she succeeded. It is what has given me the drive and determination to make a living only from my art. Yes, the child teaching the parent. It is never to late to learn or change.
This question has been a constant worry with me. I see teens and pre teens already excelling and I worry that me, being almost 23, will never be able to catch up and be as great of an artist. Seeing this though was just what I needed. Thank you.
I am 33 and have same problem so dont worry :-) I think that the difference is that when someone who is now 40 and started 20 years ago he didnt have those toools that we have now. We can catch on quicker with technology, tutorials, schools and social media. Still you have to sit your ass down and draw, but this gives me hope.
I'm 62 and started painting seriously at 31. I study every single day and I paint or draw every day. After family, art is number 1 - it's my life, my passion.
I'll be 45 years old this year and I still haven't given up on learning and trying to improve my art. People only grow old when they decide to grow old.
this video really helped me thank you, im 28 and have been self taught in drawing all my life but when i got my first job the motivation really started to fade away, im at a point where i want to revisit the thing i used to do on a daily basis and loved but i just dont have the confidence to say after a 5 or 6 year gap of not drawing properly that id be doing well at it or if id even stick at it, i would often come up with excuses to give up and not bother trying and recently it has been my age and seeing this video and hearing what you said really helped my mindset, i would also tell myself that in order to be successful with art youd probably have to have an education in it with degrees and such which i dont and that would hold me back from trying. my name is gerry and i work in a timber yard and i want to draw again but much more than that i want to learn new techniques and color and more that i havent tried yet. thank you so much for this video.
I'm 21 and it dawned on me after 2 years at community college art. I'm not as good as I think I am and I spent way too much time taking 5 classes at a time and trying to get good grade so I could sail through and transfer and not actually learning. I also spent too long too afraid to draw and make mistakes so I didn't keep a sketchbook. I know I'm still "young" but my Instagram feed is full of people my age or younger and I feel overwhelmed
I thank you you have put to rest my anxieties I am a 27 yr old 2nd year art student Who loves drawing and dreams of making my own comic book series I know I'm pretty young but I feel like my younger class mates are 10 times better than me but watching your video really set my mind at ease you are right it takes time and practice to become an artist yes some people have natural skill and talent but that doesn't mean you can't learn it this is a great video😊
I'm grateful to you that you made this video. I'm almost 18 and my art skills don't seem to be doing too hot. I will put in the hours this year though.
Dude, I am 54 & I still draw each & every day. Drawing brings calmness & peace. I do hope to become a professional artist & I might have gotten there a lot quicker if it wasn’t for the pandemic, but I am not giving up yet. I feel I can become an artist. All this pandemic did for me was give me even more free time to focus on my art.
Im 15, and yes I guess im really young. The thing is, I only just started drawing a lot 1 year ago. Basically every art-youtuber I watch has stated that they've always drawn a lot since they were like 6-7 years. It's also kind of demotivating when you see people at your age, or just a few years older, that are really talented at making art. I imagine that might be the reason other teens and people in their "twenty-somethings" think they are too old. Thats definitely what is going on in my head lol :P
god, this is EXACTLY my situation. im 16 and i started drawing about a year ago. for some reason it makes me so anxious... every person i know who is doing something art related says they have been doing it "since they can remember" and im here trying to figure out if its just a "phase" for me, is this something im not meant to be doing... i know im really young but it gets super hard sometimes... but it feels good to know im not the only one who struggles with this problem. good luck! we can do it. we have years to come!
You are at an excellent age to start doing art. Don't let your feeling fail you. If you let your feeling demotivate you can really fail. I have a lot of experience with these feelings.
Wow! What a great video! I didn't start learning to draw until I was 30 but didn't have a lot of time to devote when I first started. I was that person who would tell people that I can't draw and I wish I could. I went to free classes at Michaels for drawing, followed artists on UA-cam who were doing free classes, I have a book on how to draw furries, and did every Disney tutorial on how to draw their characters that I had available to me. That got me started at no cost whatever except for my pencils and paper. Now, my daughter asks me to draw for her and paint with her. She also is so excited that I can reproduce Disney characters that she loves with enough accuracy that she wants to learn to draw which makes me so happy because art skills are so great to have as you grow. I love to learn and I'm so glad that I can share it with other people. Not to mention it's fun. I tell people all the time, if you're not learning something make sure it's not because you're selling yourself short now. Had I had more confidence in myself, I might have pursued this more and I might be further along with something I can do from home easier as I can't work anymore. I've been doing things just for my own amusement to practice and it's kind of therapeutic too. I have a lot to improve and am enjoying it. I have found that I am drawing a lot from my background as a cosmetologist. A lot of what we learn about color is applicable, believe it or not. Also processing what's really there instead of what you think is there is something we use a lot that is very applicable to art which is really good for building mindfulness and seeing the world for the amazing things it has in it when you go out and use real life references. All those years of writing comes in handy too. It is so true that art really touches everything!
3-7 years sounds like a long time. IT'S NOT. THE SOONER YOU START, THE FASTER IT WILL GO. I remember hearing Adam Savage say he thought he was too old to learn welding at age 18. I think he ended up learning it at age 29 lol Also I remember hearing that Chris Oatley / Chris Campbell interview some time ago! It's a very good motivator. People should google that shit
i started 7 years ago, (seriously learning) and back then, i was terrible at it. now, 7 years later, i've kinda gotten better, but i believe myself to have childish artworks, in comparison to literally everybody else who draws "mature" artworks. when i say words like childish and mature, i mean like, it looks like an adult made it, vs a child made it. my current artworks look like a child made it. when i look at everybody else, i can tell adults made these artworks. and sure, i only do traditional artworks, and the artists i refer to mostly draw digitally, but still; art is art. it's not what you use but how much time you put into it.
I'm nearly 40, I've tried drawing in the past, in my youth I was more into landscape/cityscape type of drawing. More technical than freehand. I never thought that I'd be able to draw anything else but straight lines for the most part. Your videos are awesome and extremely helpful. I still suck, but I have some hope, lol. Please continue doing everything you're doing, your videos are tools I'm using more and more...
I'm not a visual artist, at least not actively pursuing it in the way you speak about, but I just wanted to say that you have a really fantastic way of building frameworks for thought. A+ content and frankly applicable outside of the field. You're talking about doing the work, and that exists no matter where you look.
I started drawing about a year ago, and I'm 33 married with a 2 month old child. I don't have the time I'd want to put into it now, hardly 30 mins per day, but I must say that starting from not being able to draw a straight line makes the progress more visible even if it's slow. I wonder how the next year will look like.
@@henta7608the comment didn’t age too well but it didn’t age too bad either. I stopped doing deliberate practice for the last year and I can’t say I improved as much as I’d want, but I still enjoy doing a doodle or silly comic now and then. Can’t say I “gave up” because I keep drawing, but can’t say I have any artistic aspirations anymore. I have some fun though, which is nice :)
Shit. I'm a 16 yr old, aspiring artist. I see everyone around me evolving exponentially in art and all i can do is sketch cartoonic characters with weird proportions. I can't even draw hands, they look like alien stubs. I've become frustrated on if I have to pursue this knowing that I'm not good with it. I even said to myself that maybe art is made to be a hobby and i should just crumple all my dreams away. This video made me ponder a lot about my life. I might rethink about not going to art school or rather, an art based track. Thanks. From the bottom of my heart. Power to you, dude.
Thank you for making these videos. I liked to draw when I was younger and started to take classes when I was a teenager. I had dreams of a creative career but once I started college I pursued a "safe" degree and my art was put on hold. I've only recently started drawing again, it's incredible how much joy it brings me. I want to make drawing a habit again and try to put myself out there once I'm more confident. What I'm trying to say is, people like you, who create content like this, are helping people like me rediscover their passion. Thank you.
You've got Metroid Other M in your pile. While it's not the top entry in the series for me, Metroid IS my favorite series of all time. I'm desperately looking forward to getting my hands on the re-imagining of Metroid II !!!
a few days back i was the kind of guy who saw at all these 20 yr old artists who were so successful, i thought to myself that am already 21 and they have been practicing since they were like 12. Am starting at 21 so i wont have a chance. i got over it tho
My biggest problem is my unsupportative family, especially my father. I had the plan to move out as soon as possible, he had the plan to stay at him until I pay back my student loan then either inherit his house or buy myself one, as he sees renting as nothing but waste. However he was too enthusiastic about the job market in my area: I'm learning to be a software developer, but he thinks it's an universal computer course instead, he tried to make me a network builder at his company, but I only know the bare minimum of networking, nothing about "safety" that the company wants to improve upon. Due to the current financial state we're in, I'm even facing the possibility homelessness. My father is an all around toxic person. He tries to use my disabilities (and my financial state) to control me, all for the "greater good", and I'll be thankful for him in my later life when I'll be wiser. Instead all of his actions all lead to me becoming the Gallant for the Goofus of one of my father's friend's son, who was allegedly spoiled because he was given the resources I wasn't. This ended up me being stuck in a region with no jobs for me, with no real hope getting out from here (even my PC is now barely functional, putting my only source of income into danger due to every computer related purchase were "luxurious spending"), while that guy now has a full-time job instead of part-time ones for short periods of times that barely cover my education cost.
Just found your channel, and it is inspiring. I am almost 37, and decided recently that I want to learn to draw so I can put to paper stories i have had since late childhood (a looooong time ago). I've been struggling at times, but I've also seen progress and there are things that used to be impossible (like getting 3d shapes right) that have gone to challenging, and even effortless. Recently I also restarted figure drawing quicksketches after putting them aside earlier this year, and I've been quite happy at the improvement, back in February I drew spaghetti aliens, and now I can get most frontal poses quick well (might get a proportion error here and there, but it's never too horrible), and a few back poses too. So, to anyone that reading this comment, no it's not too late. It's more challenging, due to time, obligations and not learning as fast as a kid, but it's possible!
"If it matters so much to you, it doesn't matter how long it takes." This is super inspiring, I love that anecdote at the end. I hope you grow even more as an artist and content creator because just from that I can tell how passionate you are at what you do.
thank you so much for this video. i’m 24 and ive been doodling since i was a kid but never took it seriously and never took an art class in my life. after dropping out of high school at 17 and dealing with severe mental illness and suicidal ideation since i was 16, i decided what i want to do with my life and found enjoyment in drawing again. ive always been a massive fan of animated films/shows and want to pursue a career in that department in the future but found myself once again feeling discouraged when i saw just how talented these younger artists are on social media. i have a long way to go but after years out of school, i applied to attend an art fundamentals certificate program at sheridan college here in canada and hope to apply to their famous animation program next year. i dont want to set myself up for disappointment however your video brought out a feeling of courage in myself and i cant thank you enough.
7:58 damn, I have something extremely similar, I’ve always had pretty bad eyesight and ability to really perceive shapes, so when I started drawing, it took me quite literally 6 months to learn how to draw a triangle (not even a circle, a TRIANGLE, THREE LINES A SIDE) properly. Then, once I actually got shapes down, I had to learn depth, dimension, perceptive, etc. which is something I’ve struggled with for the past 2 YEARS on-and-off. It’s really hard to _learn_ something, especially when your eyes and brain can’t even perceive what the hell you’re trying to do, and hearing that someone else went out of their way to test that specific idea of being unable to visualize shapes is just… Jeez.
I see this video is an old video, but if it still worth, I want to thank you... I'm an 37 year old artist who stopped my artistic journey for almost 10 years and I've been trying to continue that path. Your insights helped me a lot.
Thank you for this. I graduated from art school about ten years ago, and had a relatively on-track and promising career in front of me (even had a piece in the Guggenheim, oof), but, of course, life dealt me a bad hand, another, then another, and day job to day job, move after move, here I am in my quarter-life still feeling like I haven't fulfilled what I now I could have done in other circumstances, and that no studio or gig would hire an early-thirties trying to re-start ambitions for a realistic path back to what I love, and want to do. Mistakes on my part aside, life in all its tragic forms aside, this singular video has not only made my day, it has shifted my perspective, attitude, and given me a lot of hope. I will check out your patreon for sure, it is the least I can do as thanks.
Brookes, it's been a while since I've watched your more recent videos, maybe a couple of months (I've been busy), but this video brought tears to my eyes. So poignant. The guy's reaction to your response at the end of the video reminds me of a friend's response to a teacher of mine who said I could pursue a career in art and design if I wanted. My friend's reaction was: The teacher shouldn't fill children's heads with difficult dreams. I disagreed with my friend and thought similarly to your reaction. This was an amazing video, Brookes, and I think the concepts here go way behind the field of art. And the ideas you brought up are things I read about when I pick up books written from (or about) huge (and smaller) companies that are successful now, like Apple, Google, Wikipedia, Starbucks, Method, and more, and one of those ideas you mentioned in which I'd like to repeat is: people DON'T see all the work, and the failures, and the rejections, that happens BEFORE something rises or becomes great. And we, as a society, DO celebrate seemingly instantaneous success and disregard the journey. Great reframing of the question/dilemma. Sometimes all it takes is rephrasing that thought, having a different mindset. Keep up with your quality-content videos!!! I love them all!!!
There are so many examples of creative people starting late in life and succeeding. My personal favourite is the Japanese writer Murakami. He started writing with 29 years while he was also running a Jazz club. Even though he never wrote anything before, and even though most of his time he was occupied with running his club, he still managed to become a very famous Japanese writer who is also very well known in the English speaking world. Despite having long work days and no experience he made it. If other people can do it, so can we. A lack of free time, old age and a lack of talent are all just excuses we use to not feel guilty about giving up on our dream.
I think that in this day and age especially, anyone who WANTS to draw will end up drawing. I started drawing digitally when I was 11; I didn't have any motive to make money or gain recognition, I just saw people on the internet making cool art and thought, "hey, I can do that too". All I had was an app on an android tablet and my thumbs. My first drawings weren't very good, but I had a lot of fun making them, so naturally I never stopped drawing, and never stopped improving. It's just not something you need to think too hard about. You don't need to prepare or study; you just need to do it. If you enjoy it, you'll keep going- if you don't, maybe it's not your cup of tea. You don't need to get high end supplies/technology or study art when you don't even draw yet, but if you start to enjoy the craft and want to improve you'll do both of those things by yourself, and it'll be because you realize you want to expand your capabilities. Just do it. Anyway, those are just my additional thoughts. I know people who need this sort of encouragement, lol. I'm shocked this channel doesn't have millions of subscribers yet, it's really informative!
Thank you!!!! I am 32 and i started to draw at my 27 .. but sometimes I thought I wasn't going anywhere. I quit and then I came back a few times..... but, there is something about art ...i can't leave her. Right now i am soooooo much better than my 27 years old... sometimes it's hard to think you are doing it great at your learning process, specially if your are learning all by yourself. But I can't quit, it's impossible to me going back to no doing art. Thank you for all,your videos are amazing
I'm 31, and despite the fact that I've created and drawn my own characters since 5th grade, this question does indeed still plague me. One of my top 3 favorite artists is Jean Mœbius Giraud, yet I get that helpless feeling when I look at his work because by the time he was my age he already had comic book sagas under his belt. Thanks for the video. There isn't a better a inspirational art channel, imo.
You're 25? ......what (though perhaps 26 by now). My life is a lie. I was under the impression you were at least 30 haha. (I'm 26, btw) Anyway, really interesting topic and a helpful motivational tone. I've gotten into art at 20 and through trial and error I've improved fairly slow. It's only been in the recent two years that I've actively sought videos (like yours) and other tools to improve the right way. I've no intention of making art my carreer, I simply like writing more. But I do want to keep doing it until I'm either dead or physically incapable of doing it. A goal for me is to have my own manga someday. Not through a professional publisher or anything, just my own thing. Thankfully I've never felt like I was too old to reach for a goal like that and the way I see it... I have decades to improve and then improve further still.
This made me feel inspired. When I was young I used to have high hopes to be an aspiring artist. Then college came and my dad was against my decision to take an art degree. I decided follow him and thought to myself that maybe I'm not for art but I still did sketches and doodles during that time. Graduation came and my love for art went to rest for a long time. I stopped doing art for 4 years like totally no art done during those years. Now I'm 25 I regret that decision because the job I had didn't really made me happy. I'm starting to get back into art and hopefully I'll get good. I hope someday I'll have a fulltime art job. Thanks for this video. You made me inspired again.
Good watch. A lot of these ideas can be applied to really anything, any dream, any career goal. I knew a few people in college who were 50+ jumping into an entirely new field and even a chemistry professor who hadn't even taken a college course until her 40s. It's never too late to chase a dream or goal. Like you said, you just have to be willing to invest the time.
Thanks for the vid.. I too am an artist who put the pen down for over 30+yrs and now i have picked up digital instead of paper and have been at it now for about a year or so and I can say i can see the improvements.. But I do fall victim to the many artist finished work and well it can deflate your moral.. The trick for any new artist or struggling artist is to remember that there is an audience for your art.. You just have to perfect your style and find your nitch.. Your right about how much time you can invest can determine how far your skills can go..
Wow This is really helpful, a AHA moment for me I like what you've said, refine the question "Do you have 3 to 7 years that you can be serious, that I can devote sometime on a frequent basis to practicing & improving my art?"
This is going to be a bit long winded, and this video is now 2 years old, so who knows if anyone is paying any attention to the comments section. I have always had some artist ability. I play guitar, I can draw, sing, write (though I tend to get a little verbose at time for no reason), but was told that those are for fun, for play. I was told that I had to be real and focus on something that was guaranteed money. My family is full of hard working people, a lot of prior military. So in my adulthood I focused on going to work and making money. Always being hard labor jobs. I currently work as a driver for a major corporation, the fast a proficient one. I started there in 2006, left in 2013 to the US Army, and have been back now for 2 years. I was injured while serving in the Army and am now 100% disabled, but continue to do one of the most physically intense jobs. I am 37, I have a family, I have bills and not a lot of time on my hands. I know I cannot get doing the job I am for too much longer. Between back surgery, my neck and shoulders being injured as well, my ass is going to end up in a wheelchair by the age of 50 if not sooner. To get to my point, I want to do, need to do something else with my life as far as how I make my money. Problem being is being able to put in the work. I know these things take time to develop and I will have to continue working my butt off while trying to hone my craft. I just don't know, when I get home I just want to chill, play some video games. I am so friggin' tired. I keep telling myself that I need to put in the work to make it happen, but I am not sure what I want to create. I thought about maybe trying to see if I could put together a game. Something small obviously. I am 1 person and it would take way too long if I were to try and get overly ambitious. At least see I can come up with some cool level designs or maybe some awesome character creations. I know that I mentioned that I can write, and looking over this doesn't really show that. It's because I am a mess right now. My user name reflects that in a way. I used articulate thought because I am an idea box, but often times I am locked in my head. I have friends and I have good social interaction but I am an introvert really. It sucks, I feel trapped, I feel like I have all this creative ability, but don't have a medium in which to express myself properly. It probably doesn't help that I have been leaning more towards the acceptance. Acceptance that I can't do anything more than heavy lifting and when my body decides that I can't do that anymore, I will be useless, that I will have nothing more to contribute. Everyone just sees me as a damn work horse, a beast, not someone who is imaginative. I am almost 40 and I have no idea what I want to do with the rest of my life, other than supporting my wife and kids, I don't really feel like I have much purpose left.
A friend posted this in ehr Discord chat group, since we're arting... and I want to say thank you for this. I gave up on art back in 2006, and only recently got back into it a few months ago. I really enjoy doing the art, but one thing that really set me back on my path was meeting artist Steve Lieber at the Calgary Expo this year. He's one of my faves with a fantastic eye for detail and atmosphere, who worked with Greg Rucka on the two volumes of White Out. And I asked him "When did you believe you were ready to be marketable? As in, how many years did it take you to believe your art was worth selling?" And all in all, the answer was something close to 13 years, I think. And that answer really put me at ease. Because art takes time, and it takes time to get good at it, and if someone as talented as Steve Lieber took that long, then it's fine for me to take as long, if not longer. So thank you for this.
Awesome to hear! It is such a journey, my friend. And as you probably know, if you're a person prone towards art, it's going to feel worse not to at least try. Really good to look at how long it took for your art-hero to get where they are as well!
Thanks, I needed this video at the point of my art journey I’m at I started art after 30, never went to an art school and after 6 years or so I’m starting to feel confortable with my work. Which brought me to my next question to myself: am I good enough to actually make a living out of it? So, at almost 40, I’m just starting to look into this last question and trying to find the confidence to just try!
The quote by film producer and writer Ken Atchity answers this question best: “you get as many chances as you’re willing to take”. So you only fail when you give up trying!!! Will it be easy???? NOOOOO! But better to live on your feet than die on your knees. 😎
Wow I've been running around like a headless chicken the past few days looking up videos/forums asking this and they all say the same thing. I wanted to try drawing again so I can become an illustrator or animator. I'm already coming up with timelines of my career before I've even picked up a pen. I know I should've spent that time actually doing the work and start drawing. I honestly don't know why I fall asleep every time I sit down and try to watch a tutorial or draw. I've programmed myself to believe that I'm too lazy to accomplish anything but drawing is something that I've put aside but keeps calling onto me, always finding its way back until I fall back on old patterns of self-doubt and guilt and the cycle repeats. It's been 4 years since I rediscovered my passion for drawing and though I have improved somewhat, I know that I haven't even applied 10% of my potential and that's what's killing me. I know this is MY thing, thing is THE thing that I wanna do, the thing I wanna be great at (at least right now at this point in my life). I don't care if it takes me 7 years or 10 or however long. It took you to make me realize that I am willing to give myself to this thing because art is the one thing I've always felt so strongly about, more than ANYTHING. And no, I'm not willing to let this define my worth, burn myself out or give up other important areas of my life. It's just art has always been there and I've been ignoring it for so long because of my fears, doubts, and worries. It feels like I've been missing a limb all this time and I just can't ignore it anymore. I'm the type of person who hates tv spoilers because to me, the joy is in the journey (the ups and downs, plot twists, the reveal). Your video reminded me that this is not a sprint and it shouldn't be because the joy is IN the learning, the growing, the doing. I can't thank you enough.
This was in my recommended feed and I think I was meant to see this. I'm 31, I wanted nothing more all my life than to be an artist but my family constantly berated me for wanting to pursue my dream. I work as a cashier at a major supermarket chain, by the time I get home I'm exhausted and just want to sit in front of the computer until bedtime. During quarantine I seriously considered quitting art altogether because everyone I knew that had supportive families and was able to afford art school had pretty comfortable lives in character design at major studios or making money off Patreon and having major followings on social media and part of what seemed like the artist cool kid cabal that I wasn't allowed to be in. It made me feel intensely bitter and angry. I was diagnosed with autism and ADHD as a kid, I was constantly told by adults in my life that I would be lucky to even live independently and leave my parents' house. It's been hard to shake all those negative voices that were telling me I was wasting my time. I wish I heard something like this that was a voice of reason back when I was in high school, but I'm glad I heard it today. Thank you.
Hey my friend, thank you for sharing- im sure there is unfortunately that cool kid contingency but there are those of us, i like to think the majority, that struggled to get anywhere with art and just do the best we can- and the spot you’re in is highly relatable and understandable. Wish you all the best
I’m 25 now, and some day I want to come back to this video and tell about how I’ve turned the culmination of my age into an art career that I could be proud of.
This was the topic I was lookning for :-) I am 33 and have started like half year ago. I see lot of progress but still when I see awesome paintings and other art done by successful artists that are 20+ I think why bother if someone does it already better :-)
One thing i would like to have for sure is some sort of Check list of all of the things i have to practice little by little so i can start, im following a lot of tutorials and diferent books with different aproches but none of they say exactly the same i guess ill just pick a good reviewed book and start from there but i would love some one to tell me HERE!!! all this in this order now practice like a moth.... and i would XD
3 years later, I just discover this vid. I'm 26. I just got out of school with a degree that , now that it's over, feels pointless. I barely have a fanbase, I'm still workinng this conventional retail work, and online, I surround myself with 18-20 year old genius, like they were born perfect. My whole degree was virtual cuz I live in the slums of Michigan, and I'm too wuss to actually move out. I feel like I missed out on years of makng genuine connections, and noone notices I'm there. I've had so many times when I looked at myself like a cautionary tale of what not to do.
I have been drawing professionally for more then 5 years now. Im turning 30 this year as well so this this question did peek my interest. Now, when i say "drawing professionally" what i mean by that is i pay my bills (mostly) by the money i make with my art. Now, that sounds nice, but to be honest, its grooling. And it's a downer. When im not drawing like a mad man, im looking for work. I have never had that "big gig" that has given me a really paying job in art. I scratch by doing commissions and selling my artwork on merchandises which does not pay much I draw almost everyday if not every day. And when i do draw, its for hours. Yet, i dont feel like i have improved. Sure, i have moved from traditional art to digital rather well, and i can see i have learned i think or two. But over the past 5 years, i dont see any real leap in quality. And, this not like i have not actively tried to improve. I can 100% see someone else in my situation just giving up. Getting a "real" job and just saying "why bother?". And to be frank, i dont know why i haven't done that myself. Habit perhaps. And perhaps that feeling that one day a project will just fall into my lap and everything will have been worth it.
True story, I heard on the news some years ago that a lady went to law school at age 70, she died in her 90's while practicing law. She practiced law for 15 years, she put her own law firm and was successful.
I got anxiety cuz I thought I (19) was too old for art and couldn't keep up with the multitude of younger and more talented artists out there. Well, I guess I won't know unless I take that risk. Thank you for making this vid,it helped a lot
I really needed this I am 27 and I am just starting my journey I'd love to create coloring books for bigger girls boys and women characters that have skin condition etc... I want to target the audience I don't see enough of.... I really needed this.
Sometimes you "feel" too old for anything or at least that is how i feel (i'm 25). I feel so old inside me, so old to find my way. I think "I'm 25 and i don't know waht i like or what i eant to do and i never ever had achiived anything in every single aspect of my life" and than I think (and feel) "Maybe I have no chance....i never had a chance and now is too late"
That comment from the guy just breaks my heart "It's irresponsible of you to believe it me" Beethoven was heccin deaf and he still made some awesome music.
I am 42 years old and actually just got my shit together 2 years ago after having a rough life. In that time I wrote a short science fiction book, got my health back up to par, then I decided that I wanted to try the harp and I still go back and forth to it. Now after playing video games for so long, I asked myself one day what do I want to do next?. I said well I like art but I suck at drawing, I like video games, science fiction, fantasy, and just learned how to mod a game. But something is still missing? I want to make something that is artistic and some playable things that I make in my own world. So recently I have gone with Daz Studio, Hexagon, Paintshop pro, and Unreal engine. Though I have no clue yet, I am doing everything I can to teach myself these things. Will I be rich? hmmm probably not and not really concerned with that, after all, I am 42 and it is what it is. Will I ever get anywhere with it? I might get somewhere for my own benefit as a hobby but I do not expect any major outcomes. My world is pretty much a virtual one and I am willing to learn to build things that will enhance it for my own benefit though I know it will be a very long road.
This video is so important to me. I got into art at 29... and I was surprised to see you had a video about something that I feel every day about life. And I also noticed how much I hate your chair, so I hope you got a better chair (only noticed the chair in this video XD)
Thank you so much for all your awesome comments! Thankfully yes, I have a newer, better chair than this one thanks to folks on Patreon! One I can actually sit in for more than an hour before it starts to hurt!
Hey there Joeseph, thanks so much! I hear you on all of that, it's so much easier said than done! By the way, the poster is actually my design, it's still up on this store page if you're interested brookeseggleston.bigcartel.com/product/smash-bros-64-poster-print-11-x17
I don't want to do it as a career but I've always wanted to draw for a creative outlet and draw fanart. I've felt intimidated because it feels like there's too much to learn and I'm older.
What makes an art career so frightening is a lack of referance and direction. Unlike math or science, there is no right or wrong way to do it. There is only your way. You have to overcome your own fear and push yourself forward where there is no safety. Don't compomise, don't settle, don't stop moving forward.
As someone who wants to go into the field of video games, I want to begin this journey and I am trying to prepare myself by getting my Bachelors degree in AI Programming. I think my problem is that I am worried I might not have the supplies to start this journey even with the degree since I am quite bad at programming. My art skill is okay at best, but my coding skills are nowhere near where my art is. Also, is it bad that I have never played Chrono Trigger before?
If someone like Rob Liefeld (*shudder*) can make a name for himself with lack of skill levels he has, there's no reason no one else can find moderate success at the least.
I'm 17 (about to turn 18 in 3 months) I know this sounds stupid, but I feel that I wasted my pre teen years for not being motivated enough to draw art. Whenever someone younger than me or some story time animator say "I started drawing at the age of 5 or 6". A part of me feels insecure for procrastinating alot with my art. Only recently now I want to start picking art again but once again I feel insecure for not having any art freinds or a big following to share my art with (even tho it's garbage) idk what's wrong with me, I wish I stopped having these thoughts it's just makes me even more depressed.
It's true that you're never too old to start drawing, but the older you get, the harder it becomes. When you're young, you have a ton of spare time to improve yourself and you don't need to worry about paying the rent or deciding what you're gonna cook for breakfast tomorrow. But when you have a day job, family, kids and other ton of responsibilities, it's much harder to start drawing or even quit your job and start pursuing the art.
These comments from teenagers and twenty-somethings thinking they're too old are unreal...
Yes, I agree. I am 65 years old, and have been 'trying' to paint for several years, now. I know that I will never be on the level, that I want to be. I paint because I love art, and everything about it interest. I can't measure my life anymore in 'many' years, anymore. I paint to paint, and I have finally stopped beating myself up about it, and accepted my limitations. This comes with age.
Ms. L Churchill
being 17 and just starting yea, I really love how our culture basically says if you haven't been trying since you were out of the womb you're never gonna get anywhere with it
@@tomasjordy8764 double bot
Just found this video, I'm a 35 year old guy who works 12 hours a day in oil field extraction, but it was my life dream to make a comic, to tell a story.
Two years ago I started to put work into it despite the short time I have per day, even doing small doodles and sketches in sticky notes at work. But I've made some progress thanks to a friend who is a comic illustrator for a magazine, he's been teaching me a lot and your videos help me to visualize what I want to do.
hey, i hope you’re able to finally get that comic of yours out! good luck and take care of yourself :D
Been 4 years just wonder you ever get that comic out?
Thank you Brookes! Excellent and inspiring video! I'm in my 40's and just got enrolled for the first year of a 3 year Animation Program.
Hadriana Oliveira Good luck with your program! It may get difficult but it will be worth it!
Thank you Eeyono! I'm not expecting anything easy, there will be actually a lot of work, but I know I can do it! :)
Hey how is your program going?
Wow u just inspired me
Applause for your braveness!!! You will do well for sure. Good luck!
Great vid thank you :) I'm 50 and yes I have panicked about trying to make art my career. At the moment I am really busy doing fan-art commissions and am looking forward to continuing for as long as I can
I feel like Im to old to be an artist but Im going to try🤔
"The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second-best time is now."
Damn! Thank you.
In the last year since I made this comment my art has been going great :D
@@VioStarclad so happy for you!
@@VioStarclad I started drawing yesterday! I hope I am able to say the same after a year :)
@@allthingshraddha You've so got this! If I can offer any piece of advice its use references and never give up.
My daughter was very uncoordinated and rather talentless in Tae Kwon do, but she loved it. She proved every doubter about her skills after years of love for the art and sport. When she chose to leave it as a sport she was competing at the international level. Through her hard work she succeeded. It is what has given me the drive and determination to make a living only from my art. Yes, the child teaching the parent. It is never to late to learn or change.
Appreciate you sharing this story, thank you!
That’s fantastic!!
This question has been a constant worry with me. I see teens and pre teens already excelling and I worry that me, being almost 23, will never be able to catch up and be as great of an artist. Seeing this though was just what I needed. Thank you.
You can do it!
I am 33 and have same problem so dont worry :-) I think that the difference is that when someone who is now 40 and started 20 years ago he didnt have those toools that we have now. We can catch on quicker with technology, tutorials, schools and social media. Still you have to sit your ass down and draw, but this gives me hope.
i started at 23, so you want to see where i am at 30?
Dude, I'm 31.
Wow, we're exactly the same age!
I'm 62 and started painting seriously at 31. I study every single day and I paint or draw every day. After family, art is number 1 - it's my life, my passion.
I'll be 45 years old this year and I still haven't given up on learning and trying to improve my art. People only grow old when they decide to grow old.
That’s awesome to hear, Nathan!
Yes very true
this video really helped me thank you, im 28 and have been self taught in drawing all my life but when i got my first job the motivation really started to fade away, im at a point where i want to revisit the thing i used to do on a daily basis and loved but i just dont have the confidence to say after a 5 or 6 year gap of not drawing properly that id be doing well at it or if id even stick at it, i would often come up with excuses to give up and not bother trying and recently it has been my age and seeing this video and hearing what you said really helped my mindset, i would also tell myself that in order to be successful with art youd probably have to have an education in it with degrees and such which i dont and that would hold me back from trying. my name is gerry and i work in a timber yard and i want to draw again but much more than that i want to learn new techniques and color and more that i havent tried yet. thank you so much for this video.
I'm 21 and it dawned on me after 2 years at community college art. I'm not as good as I think I am and I spent way too much time taking 5 classes at a time and trying to get good grade so I could sail through and transfer and not actually learning. I also spent too long too afraid to draw and make mistakes so I didn't keep a sketchbook. I know I'm still "young" but my Instagram feed is full of people my age or younger and I feel overwhelmed
I thank you you have put to rest my anxieties I am a 27 yr old 2nd year art student Who loves drawing and dreams of making my own comic book series I know I'm pretty young but I feel like my younger class mates are 10 times better than me but watching your video really set my mind at ease you are right it takes time and practice to become an artist yes some people have natural skill and talent but that doesn't mean you can't learn it this is a great video😊
Similar boat. Also if it's worth anything, check out Peter Dinklage's speech he made. Also check out Mark Pullyblank's Ted Talks, good guy.
Im like 18 and I sometimes think I’m too old compared to some artists 😂
I'm grateful to you that you made this video. I'm almost 18 and my art skills don't seem to be doing too hot. I will put in the hours this year though.
Have you improved? It’s good to see you being more motivated
Dude, I am 54 & I still draw each & every day. Drawing brings calmness & peace. I do hope to become a professional artist & I might have gotten there a lot quicker if it wasn’t for the pandemic, but I am not giving up yet. I feel I can become an artist. All this pandemic did for me was give me even more free time to focus on my art.
Im 15, and yes I guess im really young. The thing is, I only just started drawing a lot 1 year ago. Basically every art-youtuber I watch has stated that they've always drawn a lot since they were like 6-7 years. It's also kind of demotivating when you see people at your age, or just a few years older, that are really talented at making art. I imagine that might be the reason other teens and people in their "twenty-somethings" think they are too old. Thats definitely what is going on in my head lol :P
god, this is EXACTLY my situation. im 16 and i started drawing about a year ago. for some reason it makes me so anxious... every person i know who is doing something art related says they have been doing it "since they can remember" and im here trying to figure out if its just a "phase" for me, is this something im not meant to be doing...
i know im really young but it gets super hard sometimes... but it feels good to know im not the only one who struggles with this problem. good luck! we can do it. we have years to come!
@@selma9800 hey, thats actually really good idea! im sure ill try it :D good luck and stay motivated
@@friendlygrotesque2941 You too! :3
You are at an excellent age to start doing art. Don't let your feeling fail you. If you let your feeling demotivate you can really fail. I have a lot of experience with these feelings.
Wow! What a great video! I didn't start learning to draw until I was 30 but didn't have a lot of time to devote when I first started. I was that person who would tell people that I can't draw and I wish I could. I went to free classes at Michaels for drawing, followed artists on UA-cam who were doing free classes, I have a book on how to draw furries, and did every Disney tutorial on how to draw their characters that I had available to me. That got me started at no cost whatever except for my pencils and paper. Now, my daughter asks me to draw for her and paint with her. She also is so excited that I can reproduce Disney characters that she loves with enough
accuracy that she wants to learn to draw which makes me so happy because art skills are so great to have as you grow. I love to learn and I'm so glad that I can share it with other people. Not to mention it's fun. I tell people all the time, if you're not learning something make sure it's not because you're selling yourself short now. Had I had more confidence in myself, I might have pursued this more and I might be further along with something I can do from home easier as I can't work anymore. I've been doing things just for my own amusement to practice and it's kind of therapeutic too. I have a lot to improve and am enjoying it. I have found that I am drawing a lot from my background as a cosmetologist. A lot of what we learn about color is applicable, believe it or not. Also processing what's really there instead of what you think is there is something we use a lot that is very applicable to art which is really good for building mindfulness and seeing the world for the amazing things it has in it when you go out and use real life references. All those years of writing comes in handy too. It is so true that art really touches everything!
3-7 years sounds like a long time. IT'S NOT. THE SOONER YOU START, THE FASTER IT WILL GO.
I remember hearing Adam Savage say he thought he was too old to learn welding at age 18. I think he ended up learning it at age 29 lol
Also I remember hearing that Chris Oatley / Chris Campbell interview some time ago! It's a very good motivator. People should google that shit
The Wulff Den I just subbed to you guys a day ago lol
i started 7 years ago, (seriously learning) and back then, i was terrible at it. now, 7 years later, i've kinda gotten better, but i believe myself to have childish artworks, in comparison to literally everybody else who draws "mature" artworks. when i say words like childish and mature, i mean like, it looks like an adult made it, vs a child made it. my current artworks look like a child made it. when i look at everybody else, i can tell adults made these artworks. and sure, i only do traditional artworks, and the artists i refer to mostly draw digitally, but still; art is art. it's not what you use but how much time you put into it.
I'm nearly 40, I've tried drawing in the past, in my youth I was more into landscape/cityscape type of drawing. More technical than freehand. I never thought that I'd be able to draw anything else but straight lines for the most part. Your videos are awesome and extremely helpful. I still suck, but I have some hope, lol. Please continue doing everything you're doing, your videos are tools I'm using more and more...
I'm not a visual artist, at least not actively pursuing it in the way you speak about, but I just wanted to say that you have a really fantastic way of building frameworks for thought. A+ content and frankly applicable outside of the field. You're talking about doing the work, and that exists no matter where you look.
+Craig Montgomery I really genuinely appreciate that, thank you, Craig!
I started drawing about a year ago, and I'm 33 married with a 2 month old child.
I don't have the time I'd want to put into it now, hardly 30 mins per day, but I must say that starting from not being able to draw a straight line makes the progress more visible even if it's slow.
I wonder how the next year will look like.
How has it been going?
@@henta7608the comment didn’t age too well but it didn’t age too bad either. I stopped doing deliberate practice for the last year and I can’t say I improved as much as I’d want, but I still enjoy doing a doodle or silly comic now and then.
Can’t say I “gave up” because I keep drawing, but can’t say I have any artistic aspirations anymore. I have some fun though, which is nice :)
@@loupax And having fun is wat it's all about at the end of the day :)
Shit. I'm a 16 yr old, aspiring artist. I see everyone around me evolving exponentially in art and all i can do is sketch cartoonic characters with weird proportions. I can't even draw hands, they look like alien stubs. I've become frustrated on if I have to pursue this knowing that I'm not good with it. I even said to myself that maybe art is made to be a hobby and i should just crumple all my dreams away. This video made me ponder a lot about my life. I might rethink about not going to art school or rather, an art based track. Thanks. From the bottom of my heart. Power to you, dude.
That's so fantastic to hear, that made my day! Don't give up, you have SO much time.
How are you? I'm 16 this year
Thank you for making these videos. I liked to draw when I was younger and started to take classes when I was a teenager. I had dreams of a creative career but once I started college I pursued a "safe" degree and my art was put on hold. I've only recently started drawing again, it's incredible how much joy it brings me. I want to make drawing a habit again and try to put myself out there once I'm more confident. What I'm trying to say is, people like you, who create content like this, are helping people like me rediscover their passion. Thank you.
How many of MY games from the pile are YOUR favorite games? I hope very few!
You've got Metroid Other M in your pile. While it's not the top entry in the series for me, Metroid IS my favorite series of all time. I'm desperately looking forward to getting my hands on the re-imagining of Metroid II !!!
Samus Returns looks amazing! Only a few weeks left! I really hope Other M doesn't top out anyone's list. 0_o
Yeah, those favorites didn't look too good... ^^; Sorry... ^^
a few days back i was the kind of guy who saw at all these 20 yr old artists who were so successful, i thought to myself that am already 21 and they have been practicing since they were like 12. Am starting at 21 so i wont have a chance.
i got over it tho
My biggest problem is my unsupportative family, especially my father. I had the plan to move out as soon as possible, he had the plan to stay at him until I pay back my student loan then either inherit his house or buy myself one, as he sees renting as nothing but waste. However he was too enthusiastic about the job market in my area: I'm learning to be a software developer, but he thinks it's an universal computer course instead, he tried to make me a network builder at his company, but I only know the bare minimum of networking, nothing about "safety" that the company wants to improve upon. Due to the current financial state we're in, I'm even facing the possibility homelessness.
My father is an all around toxic person. He tries to use my disabilities (and my financial state) to control me, all for the "greater good", and I'll be thankful for him in my later life when I'll be wiser. Instead all of his actions all lead to me becoming the Gallant for the Goofus of one of my father's friend's son, who was allegedly spoiled because he was given the resources I wasn't. This ended up me being stuck in a region with no jobs for me, with no real hope getting out from here (even my PC is now barely functional, putting my only source of income into danger due to every computer related purchase were "luxurious spending"), while that guy now has a full-time job instead of part-time ones for short periods of times that barely cover my education cost.
Just found your channel, and it is inspiring. I am almost 37, and decided recently that I want to learn to draw so I can put to paper stories i have had since late childhood (a looooong time ago). I've been struggling at times, but I've also seen progress and there are things that used to be impossible (like getting 3d shapes right) that have gone to challenging, and even effortless. Recently I also restarted figure drawing quicksketches after putting them aside earlier this year, and I've been quite happy at the improvement, back in February I drew spaghetti aliens, and now I can get most frontal poses quick well (might get a proportion error here and there, but it's never too horrible), and a few back poses too. So, to anyone that reading this comment, no it's not too late. It's more challenging, due to time, obligations and not learning as fast as a kid, but it's possible!
Excellent video, you are never too old, or to young to succeed in Art!
"If it matters so much to you, it doesn't matter how long it takes." This is super inspiring, I love that anecdote at the end. I hope you grow even more as an artist and content creator because just from that I can tell how passionate you are at what you do.
thank you so much for this video. i’m 24 and ive been doodling since i was a kid but never took it seriously and never took an art class in my life. after dropping out of high school at 17 and dealing with severe mental illness and suicidal ideation since i was 16, i decided what i want to do with my life and found enjoyment in drawing again. ive always been a massive fan of animated films/shows and want to pursue a career in that department in the future but found myself once again feeling discouraged when i saw just how talented these younger artists are on social media. i have a long way to go but after years out of school, i applied to attend an art fundamentals certificate program at sheridan college here in canada and hope to apply to their famous animation program next year. i dont want to set myself up for disappointment however your video brought out a feeling of courage in myself and i cant thank you enough.
Loved how you just got into the content with no bs. this video is loaded with content from start to finish man, good shit. Earned a subscriber
7:58 damn, I have something extremely similar, I’ve always had pretty bad eyesight and ability to really perceive shapes, so when I started drawing, it took me quite literally 6 months to learn how to draw a triangle (not even a circle, a TRIANGLE, THREE LINES A SIDE) properly. Then, once I actually got shapes down, I had to learn depth, dimension, perceptive, etc. which is something I’ve struggled with for the past 2 YEARS on-and-off. It’s really hard to _learn_ something, especially when your eyes and brain can’t even perceive what the hell you’re trying to do, and hearing that someone else went out of their way to test that specific idea of being unable to visualize shapes is just… Jeez.
I see this video is an old video, but if it still worth, I want to thank you... I'm an 37 year old artist who stopped my artistic journey for almost 10 years and I've been trying to continue that path. Your insights helped me a lot.
Thank you for this. I graduated from art school about ten years ago, and had a relatively on-track and promising career in front of me (even had a piece in the Guggenheim, oof), but, of course, life dealt me a bad hand, another, then another, and day job to day job, move after move, here I am in my quarter-life still feeling like I haven't fulfilled what I now I could have done in other circumstances, and that no studio or gig would hire an early-thirties trying to re-start ambitions for a realistic path back to what I love, and want to do. Mistakes on my part aside, life in all its tragic forms aside, this singular video has not only made my day, it has shifted my perspective, attitude, and given me a lot of hope. I will check out your patreon for sure, it is the least I can do as thanks.
Brookes, it's been a while since I've watched your more recent videos, maybe a couple of months (I've been busy), but this video brought tears to my eyes. So poignant. The guy's reaction to your response at the end of the video reminds me of a friend's response to a teacher of mine who said I could pursue a career in art and design if I wanted. My friend's reaction was: The teacher shouldn't fill children's heads with difficult dreams. I disagreed with my friend and thought similarly to your reaction.
This was an amazing video, Brookes, and I think the concepts here go way behind the field of art. And the ideas you brought up are things I read about when I pick up books written from (or about) huge (and smaller) companies that are successful now, like Apple, Google, Wikipedia, Starbucks, Method, and more, and one of those ideas you mentioned in which I'd like to repeat is: people DON'T see all the work, and the failures, and the rejections, that happens BEFORE something rises or becomes great. And we, as a society, DO celebrate seemingly instantaneous success and disregard the journey.
Great reframing of the question/dilemma. Sometimes all it takes is rephrasing that thought, having a different mindset.
Keep up with your quality-content videos!!! I love them all!!!
Jimmy! It's so good to hear from you again. Thank you so much, I really sincerely appreciate it!
There are so many examples of creative people starting late in life and succeeding. My personal favourite is the Japanese writer Murakami. He started writing with 29 years while he was also running a Jazz club. Even though he never wrote anything before, and even though most of his time he was occupied with running his club, he still managed to become a very famous Japanese writer who is also very well known in the English speaking world. Despite having long work days and no experience he made it. If other people can do it, so can we. A lack of free time, old age and a lack of talent are all just excuses we use to not feel guilty about giving up on our dream.
I think that in this day and age especially, anyone who WANTS to draw will end up drawing. I started drawing digitally when I was 11; I didn't have any motive to make money or gain recognition, I just saw people on the internet making cool art and thought, "hey, I can do that too". All I had was an app on an android tablet and my thumbs. My first drawings weren't very good, but I had a lot of fun making them, so naturally I never stopped drawing, and never stopped improving.
It's just not something you need to think too hard about. You don't need to prepare or study; you just need to do it. If you enjoy it, you'll keep going- if you don't, maybe it's not your cup of tea. You don't need to get high end supplies/technology or study art when you don't even draw yet, but if you start to enjoy the craft and want to improve you'll do both of those things by yourself, and it'll be because you realize you want to expand your capabilities. Just do it.
Anyway, those are just my additional thoughts. I know people who need this sort of encouragement, lol. I'm shocked this channel doesn't have millions of subscribers yet, it's really informative!
Thanks Tomayto!!
Man, I can't wait till I get my laptop, I've been waiting so long and working so hard to finally start drawing digitally! I'm so hyped!
Cut Grass Good luck ^^
Cut Grass same
Cut Grass you should get krita or fire alpaca!! they're really good programs and they're totally free :D
same :C
lucy catterall I would, but I need a computer first
Thank you!!!! I am 32 and i started to draw at my 27 .. but sometimes I thought I wasn't going anywhere. I quit and then I came back a few times..... but, there is something about art ...i can't leave her. Right now i am soooooo much better than my 27 years old... sometimes it's hard to think you are doing it great at your learning process, specially if your are learning all by yourself. But I can't quit, it's impossible to me going back to no doing art. Thank you for all,your videos are amazing
I'm 31, and despite the fact that I've created and drawn my own characters since 5th grade, this question does indeed still plague me. One of my top 3 favorite artists is Jean Mœbius Giraud, yet I get that helpless feeling when I look at his work because by the time he was my age he already had comic book sagas under his belt. Thanks for the video. There isn't a better a inspirational art channel, imo.
You're 25? ......what (though perhaps 26 by now). My life is a lie. I was under the impression you were at least 30 haha. (I'm 26, btw) Anyway, really interesting topic and a helpful motivational tone. I've gotten into art at 20 and through trial and error I've improved fairly slow. It's only been in the recent two years that I've actively sought videos (like yours) and other tools to improve the right way. I've no intention of making art my carreer, I simply like writing more. But I do want to keep doing it until I'm either dead or physically incapable of doing it. A goal for me is to have my own manga someday. Not through a professional publisher or anything, just my own thing. Thankfully I've never felt like I was too old to reach for a goal like that and the way I see it... I have decades to improve and then improve further still.
This made me feel inspired. When I was young I used to have high hopes to be an aspiring artist.
Then college came and my dad was against my decision to take an art degree. I decided follow him and thought to myself that maybe I'm not for art but I still did sketches and doodles during that time.
Graduation came and my love for art went to rest for a long time. I stopped doing art for 4 years like totally no art done during those years.
Now I'm 25 I regret that decision because the job I had didn't really made me happy. I'm starting to get back into art and hopefully I'll get good. I hope someday I'll have a fulltime art job. Thanks for this video. You made me inspired again.
Im sorry to hear, but You have got so much time!!! You’ve got this!
Man, i really needed this, thanks, it helped me.
Good watch. A lot of these ideas can be applied to really anything, any dream, any career goal. I knew a few people in college who were 50+ jumping into an entirely new field and even a chemistry professor who hadn't even taken a college course until her 40s. It's never too late to chase a dream or goal. Like you said, you just have to be willing to invest the time.
Thanks for the vid.. I too am an artist who put the pen down for over 30+yrs and now i have picked up digital instead of paper and have been at it now for about a year or so and I can say i can see the improvements.. But I do fall victim to the many artist finished work and well it can deflate your moral.. The trick for any new artist or struggling artist is to remember that there is an audience for your art.. You just have to perfect your style and find your nitch.. Your right about how much time you can invest can determine how far your skills can go..
Wow This is really helpful, a AHA moment for me I like what you've said, refine the question "Do you have 3 to 7 years that you can be serious, that I can devote sometime on a frequent basis to practicing & improving my art?"
This is going to be a bit long winded, and this video is now 2 years old, so who knows if anyone is paying any attention to the comments section.
I have always had some artist ability. I play guitar, I can draw, sing, write (though I tend to get a little verbose at time for no reason), but was told that those are for fun, for play. I was told that I had to be real and focus on something that was guaranteed money. My family is full of hard working people, a lot of prior military. So in my adulthood I focused on going to work and making money. Always being hard labor jobs.
I currently work as a driver for a major corporation, the fast a proficient one. I started there in 2006, left in 2013 to the US Army, and have been back now for 2 years.
I was injured while serving in the Army and am now 100% disabled, but continue to do one of the most physically intense jobs.
I am 37, I have a family, I have bills and not a lot of time on my hands. I know I cannot get doing the job I am for too much longer. Between back surgery, my neck and shoulders being injured as well, my ass is going to end up in a wheelchair by the age of 50 if not sooner.
To get to my point, I want to do, need to do something else with my life as far as how I make my money. Problem being is being able to put in the work. I know these things take time to develop and I will have to continue working my butt off while trying to hone my craft. I just don't know, when I get home I just want to chill, play some video games. I am so friggin' tired. I keep telling myself that I need to put in the work to make it happen, but I am not sure what I want to create.
I thought about maybe trying to see if I could put together a game. Something small obviously. I am 1 person and it would take way too long if I were to try and get overly ambitious. At least see I can come up with some cool level designs or maybe some awesome character creations.
I know that I mentioned that I can write, and looking over this doesn't really show that. It's because I am a mess right now. My user name reflects that in a way. I used articulate thought because I am an idea box, but often times I am locked in my head. I have friends and I have good social interaction but I am an introvert really. It sucks, I feel trapped, I feel like I have all this creative ability, but don't have a medium in which to express myself properly. It probably doesn't help that I have been leaning more towards the acceptance. Acceptance that I can't do anything more than heavy lifting and when my body decides that I can't do that anymore, I will be useless, that I will have nothing more to contribute. Everyone just sees me as a damn work horse, a beast, not someone who is imaginative. I am almost 40 and I have no idea what I want to do with the rest of my life, other than supporting my wife and kids, I don't really feel like I have much purpose left.
How are you doing now?
A friend posted this in ehr Discord chat group, since we're arting... and I want to say thank you for this.
I gave up on art back in 2006, and only recently got back into it a few months ago. I really enjoy doing the art, but one thing that really set me back on my path was meeting artist Steve Lieber at the Calgary Expo this year. He's one of my faves with a fantastic eye for detail and atmosphere, who worked with Greg Rucka on the two volumes of White Out.
And I asked him "When did you believe you were ready to be marketable? As in, how many years did it take you to believe your art was worth selling?"
And all in all, the answer was something close to 13 years, I think.
And that answer really put me at ease.
Because art takes time, and it takes time to get good at it, and if someone as talented as Steve Lieber took that long, then it's fine for me to take as long, if not longer.
So thank you for this.
Awesome to hear! It is such a journey, my friend. And as you probably know, if you're a person prone towards art, it's going to feel worse not to at least try. Really good to look at how long it took for your art-hero to get where they are as well!
Thank you.
I really needed this. Thank you 😊
You have no idea how much I needed to hear/watch this....Thank you very much for posting it !!!
Thanks, I needed this video at the point of my art journey I’m at
I started art after 30, never went to an art school and after 6 years or so I’m starting to feel confortable with my work. Which brought me to my next question to myself: am I good enough to actually make a living out of it?
So, at almost 40, I’m just starting to look into this last question and trying to find the confidence to just try!
Thats awesome! Youve totally got this!!
The quote by film producer and writer Ken Atchity answers this question best: “you get as many chances as you’re willing to take”. So you only fail when you give up trying!!! Will it be easy???? NOOOOO! But better to live on your feet than die on your knees. 😎
Wow I've been running around like a headless chicken the past few days looking up videos/forums asking this and they all say the same thing. I wanted to try drawing again so I can become an illustrator or animator. I'm already coming up with timelines of my career before I've even picked up a pen. I know I should've spent that time actually doing the work and start drawing. I honestly don't know why I fall asleep every time I sit down and try to watch a tutorial or draw. I've programmed myself to believe that I'm too lazy to accomplish anything but drawing is something that I've put aside but keeps calling onto me, always finding its way back until I fall back on old patterns of self-doubt and guilt and the cycle repeats. It's been 4 years since I rediscovered my passion for drawing and though I have improved somewhat, I know that I haven't even applied 10% of my potential and that's what's killing me. I know this is MY thing, thing is THE thing that I wanna do, the thing I wanna be great at (at least right now at this point in my life). I don't care if it takes me 7 years or 10 or however long. It took you to make me realize that I am willing to give myself to this thing because art is the one thing I've always felt so strongly about, more than ANYTHING. And no, I'm not willing to let this define my worth, burn myself out or give up other important areas of my life. It's just art has always been there and I've been ignoring it for so long because of my fears, doubts, and worries. It feels like I've been missing a limb all this time and I just can't ignore it anymore. I'm the type of person who hates tv spoilers because to me, the joy is in the journey (the ups and downs, plot twists, the reveal). Your video reminded me that this is not a sprint and it shouldn't be because the joy is IN the learning, the growing, the doing. I can't thank you enough.
This was in my recommended feed and I think I was meant to see this. I'm 31, I wanted nothing more all my life than to be an artist but my family constantly berated me for wanting to pursue my dream. I work as a cashier at a major supermarket chain, by the time I get home I'm exhausted and just want to sit in front of the computer until bedtime. During quarantine I seriously considered quitting art altogether because everyone I knew that had supportive families and was able to afford art school had pretty comfortable lives in character design at major studios or making money off Patreon and having major followings on social media and part of what seemed like the artist cool kid cabal that I wasn't allowed to be in. It made me feel intensely bitter and angry. I was diagnosed with autism and ADHD as a kid, I was constantly told by adults in my life that I would be lucky to even live independently and leave my parents' house. It's been hard to shake all those negative voices that were telling me I was wasting my time. I wish I heard something like this that was a voice of reason back when I was in high school, but I'm glad I heard it today. Thank you.
Hey my friend, thank you for sharing- im sure there is unfortunately that cool kid contingency but there are those of us, i like to think the majority, that struggled to get anywhere with art and just do the best we can- and the spot you’re in is highly relatable and understandable. Wish you all the best
Thanks for this. I've struggled with this question for a while. You've given me the clarity that I need.
I’m 25 now, and some day I want to come back to this video and tell about how I’ve turned the culmination of my age into an art career that I could be proud of.
Nice Chrono Trigger logo in your thumbnail! I love it! The DS is definitely the best version too, IMO. Excellent video. You’re the best.
Agreed! (About the DS version!) Thanks so much! YOU'RE the best
Just came across this video, I'm 75 and having a ball!
Yay Bill!
You always have an excellent perspective Brook. Thanks for the solid content man.
crazy watching this right after I finished playing chrono trigger for the first time in my 20s and also thinking about learning how to draw
Thank you! I appreciated this. Because of what you said, yours is the very last "are you too old" I will watch.
Gracias
This was the topic I was lookning for :-) I am 33 and have started like half year ago. I see lot of progress but still when I see awesome paintings and other art done by successful artists that are 20+ I think why bother if someone does it already better :-)
Totally understandable. Glad this was helpful!
One thing i would like to have for sure is some sort of Check list of all of the things i have to practice little by little so i can start, im following a lot of tutorials and diferent books with different aproches but none of they say exactly the same i guess ill just pick a good reviewed book and start from there but i would love some one to tell me
HERE!!! all this in this order now practice like a moth.... and i would XD
3 years later, I just discover this vid. I'm 26. I just got out of school with a degree that , now that it's over, feels pointless. I barely have a fanbase, I'm still workinng this conventional retail work, and online, I surround myself with 18-20 year old genius, like they were born perfect. My whole degree was virtual cuz I live in the slums of Michigan, and I'm too wuss to actually move out. I feel like I missed out on years of makng genuine connections, and noone notices I'm there. I've had so many times when I looked at myself like a cautionary tale of what not to do.
I have been drawing professionally for more then 5 years now. Im turning 30 this year as well so this this question did peek my interest.
Now, when i say "drawing professionally" what i mean by that is i pay my bills (mostly) by the money i make with my art. Now, that sounds nice, but to be honest, its grooling. And it's a downer. When im not drawing like a mad man, im looking for work.
I have never had that "big gig" that has given me a really paying job in art. I scratch by doing commissions and selling my artwork on merchandises which does not pay much
I draw almost everyday if not every day. And when i do draw, its for hours. Yet, i dont feel like i have improved. Sure, i have moved from traditional art to digital rather well, and i can see i have learned i think or two. But over the past 5 years, i dont see any real leap in quality. And, this not like i have not actively tried to improve.
I can 100% see someone else in my situation just giving up. Getting a "real" job and just saying "why bother?". And to be frank, i dont know why i haven't done that myself. Habit perhaps. And perhaps that feeling that one day a project will just fall into my lap and everything will have been worth it.
In answer to that guy you mentioned, should've been to point him at the aphantasia video by Bobby Chiu.
Thank you so much. I've needed to hear this ever since I graduated college with a lot of doubt. This really opened my eyes.
I’m both category 1 and category 2. Thank you for posting this. This was really good to hear. Subscribing to your channel :)
True story, I heard on the news some years ago that a lady went to law school at age 70, she died in her 90's while practicing law. She practiced law for 15 years, she put her own law firm and was successful.
Thanks man. We all have our own journeys.
Thank you brookes, your video make me better
Next video in queue:
"6 Signs You're Too Old for Art"
thx UA-cam
Jakub Czaplicki If you're referring to Bobby Chiu's video, don't worry. Despite the title, he actually encourages old artists with tons of advice. :)
I got anxiety cuz I thought I (19) was too old for art and couldn't keep up with the multitude of younger and more talented artists out there. Well, I guess I won't know unless I take that risk. Thank you for making this vid,it helped a lot
Thank you for this video. 💕
I really needed this I am 27 and I am just starting my journey I'd love to create coloring books for bigger girls boys and women characters that have skin condition etc... I want to target the audience I don't see enough of.... I really needed this.
awesome and strong message! thanks for sharing this
Sometimes you "feel" too old for anything or at least that is how i feel (i'm 25).
I feel so old inside me, so old to find my way.
I think "I'm 25 and i don't know waht i like or what i eant to do and i never ever had achiived anything in every single aspect of my life" and than I think (and feel) "Maybe I have no chance....i never had a chance and now is too late"
That comment from the guy just breaks my heart "It's irresponsible of you to believe it me" Beethoven was heccin deaf and he still made some awesome music.
I am 42 years old and actually just got my shit together 2 years ago after having a rough life. In that time I wrote a short science fiction book, got my health back up to par, then I decided that I wanted to try the harp and I still go back and forth to it. Now after playing video games for so long, I asked myself one day what do I want to do next?. I said well I like art but I suck at drawing, I like video games, science fiction, fantasy, and just learned how to mod a game. But something is still missing? I want to make something that is artistic and some playable things that I make in my own world. So recently I have gone with Daz Studio, Hexagon, Paintshop pro, and Unreal engine. Though I have no clue yet, I am doing everything I can to teach myself these things. Will I be rich? hmmm probably not and not really concerned with that, after all, I am 42 and it is what it is. Will I ever get anywhere with it? I might get somewhere for my own benefit as a hobby but I do not expect any major outcomes. My world is pretty much a virtual one and I am willing to learn to build things that will enhance it for my own benefit though I know it will be a very long road.
Thank you for sharing, I can totally agree on the personal fulfillment being a lot more important than the financial aspect.
This video is so important to me. I got into art at 29... and I was surprised to see you had a video about something that I feel every day about life. And I also noticed how much I hate your chair, so I hope you got a better chair (only noticed the chair in this video XD)
Thank you so much for all your awesome comments! Thankfully yes, I have a newer, better chair than this one thanks to folks on Patreon! One I can actually sit in for more than an hour before it starts to hurt!
Thank you, this video was just what I needed!!!
+Stiff Gam Fantastic! I'm really glad!
It's not like sports where age matters. Art doesn't require people even know your age.
This video needs way more views
Thank you for this
You're very welcome!
Just wana say how great video this is! This made me let go of all doubt and just go for it. Thanks alot 😊
You’re extremely welcome, thank you for saying so!
Brilliant, a true educator.
Wow thank you John!
First: your room/loft is awesome. The Original N64 Smash Bros. characters poster struck me immediately.
Hey there Joeseph, thanks so much! I hear you on all of that, it's so much easier said than done! By the way, the poster is actually my design, it's still up on this store page if you're interested brookeseggleston.bigcartel.com/product/smash-bros-64-poster-print-11-x17
I am 62 I love drawing and painting I would love to do this for a job
I don't want to do it as a career but I've always wanted to draw for a creative outlet and draw fanart. I've felt intimidated because it feels like there's too much to learn and I'm older.
This is a really, really great video! Everything that you said was dead on point!!
What makes an art career so frightening is a lack of referance and direction. Unlike math or science, there is no right or wrong way to do it. There is only your way. You have to overcome your own fear and push yourself forward where there is no safety.
Don't compomise, don't settle, don't stop moving forward.
+Jacob Miller Well said!
Just what i need.
Man Thank you ...
💝💝💝💝💝💝💝
As someone who wants to go into the field of video games, I want to begin this journey and I am trying to prepare myself by getting my Bachelors degree in AI Programming.
I think my problem is that I am worried I might not have the supplies to start this journey even with the degree since I am quite bad at programming.
My art skill is okay at best, but my coding skills are nowhere near where my art is.
Also, is it bad that I have never played Chrono Trigger before?
If someone like Rob Liefeld (*shudder*) can make a name for himself with lack of skill levels he has, there's no reason no one else can find moderate success at the least.
Thank you for this. New subscriber instantaneously.
Appreciate that Patrick!
I'm 17 (about to turn 18 in 3 months) I know this sounds stupid, but I feel that I wasted my pre teen years for not being motivated enough to draw art. Whenever someone younger than me or some story time animator say "I started drawing at the age of 5 or 6". A part of me feels insecure for procrastinating alot with my art. Only recently now I want to start picking art again but once again I feel insecure for not having any art freinds or a big following to share my art with (even tho it's garbage) idk what's wrong with me, I wish I stopped having these thoughts it's just makes me even more depressed.
You actually have sonic generations, where did you found it, I can't find it anywhere
I'm anxious and I'm 19 years old... I always think that I should have started before I'm going to turn 20 in about 2 weeks and that scares me a lot...
It's true that you're never too old to start drawing, but the older you get, the harder it becomes. When you're young, you have a ton of spare time to improve yourself and you don't need to worry about paying the rent or deciding what you're gonna cook for breakfast tomorrow. But when you have a day job, family, kids and other ton of responsibilities, it's much harder to start drawing or even quit your job and start pursuing the art.